Can You Freeze Baked Beans? All You Need To Know

Baked beans are one of those hearty, comforting, delicious family dishes that one couldn’t possibly get bored of because this meal is incredible on so many different levels. First of all, it is tasty and filling, so you know that you won’t be getting hungry 30 minutes after finishing your portion. Second – beans are good for you!

Yes, these little miracles of nature are very nutritious, and they have provided sustenance for many civilizations throughout history all over the globe. Last but not least, beans are vegetarians’ and vegans’ go-to source of quality protein, so really everyone can enjoy this meal together no matter the lifestyle choices.

Why Freeze Baked Beans?

Now, it’s not uncommon when preparing baked beans to have some leftovers, and since it would be a pity to throw them away, people have started asking: “Can you freeze baked beans?” Luckily, the answer is YES, baked beans are freezer-friendly and can be stored safely frozen for some time.

As with everything else in life, it would be a good idea to learn more about something before trying it for yourself, and the purpose of this article is to provide you with useful information about freezing baked beans. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Does It Make A Difference If The Beans Were Canned Or Freshly Cooked?

No, it does not make any difference. Of course it is preferable to prepare fresh beans in terms of health and taste, but unfortunately, it takes a lot of time to do it. Because of this many people opt for canned baked beans and if it happens to have some extras left, freezing them will not be a problem. An important thing to note is that you should never freeze unopened cans because the ingredients are already preserved.

When it comes to freshly prepared baked beans, it would be best to freeze them on the day of preparation. This will ensure that the meal retains its freshness and that it will be safe to eat whenever you choose to defrost it.

How To Package Baked Beans For The Freezer?

When it comes to choosing the freezing vessel, there are different options available, and you can pick one according to your preferences.

The first and obvious choice would be a freezer-safe container. This is a good solution if you want to store all the remains together and plan to reheat them all at once later. These containers are affordable and reliable, so you can’t go wrong with them.

If you wish to separate the leftovers into more portions and reheat them individually on different occasions, it would be a good idea to use freezer bags. Another advantage of freezer bags is that they take less room, so if you don’t have a lot to freeze this method is the most space-efficient.

One more useful step is to label the bags or containers. Write the packaging date so you can always be sure if they are good to eat or not.

The next logical question would be: how long can you keep baked beans stored in a freezer? Technically, if the temperature is below zero, the answer is – indefinitely.

There isn’t a reliable answer to this question, but from people’s experiences, storing them up to six months shouldn’t be a problem at all. Of course, you can’t expect that the taste will be the same after a few months, so we highly recommend eating them as soon as possible for maximum enjoyment and quality.

Defrosting And Reheating The Beans.

The ideal way to reuse the frozen beans is to leave them to thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat them later. Another method would be to put the freezer bag or container in cold water, and this way the thawing will take about 5-8 hours.

Whichever option you choose, it is necessary to make a plan so for example if you want beans for dinner, take them out of the freezer in the morning, etc.

All those who are impatient or in a hurry might look for a speedier process, such as thawing in the microwave or a saucepan. These are effective but will leave you with dried out beans.

Experimenting with a little bit of water might help, and after a few tries, you should get the desired consistency. Anyway, these methods will provide you with less than optimal results so choose them only if you don’t have other options.

The next step would be reheating the beans, and for this, we recommend using a stovetop. Place the beans in a saucepan, put them on low or medium heat, and don’t forget to stir. Depending on the amount, the whole process shouldn’t last more than 10 minutes.

Keep in mind that this defrosting and reheating is a delicate process, therefore it might take more than one time to get it right. Nevertheless, it is quite practical too and convenient to get good at this, especially if you are a bean lover.

One Very Important Note!

Once you thaw and reheat frozen beans, either eat them or throw them away. NEVER freeze food multiple times since this might be dangerous and cause food poisoning.

All in all, this would be it, everything that you need to know about freezing baked beans. Be sure that as long as you don’t re-freeze them more than once, that this is a safe and effective way to preserve this delicious meal.

In addition, here’s a recipe that will surely be delicious and great after freezing.

Simple And Easy Baked Beans Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cans of baked beans

¼ cup of molasses

¼ cup of chopped onions

1tablespoon of mustard

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

2 chopped slices of bacon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Take a large casserole dish and grease it with butter

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and transfer to the casserole dish

Hi, My name is Edith Parker. I am a wife and mother of three with almost 8 years of cooking wholesome, healthy, and balanced meals for my family. I would love to write articles about cooking and healthy food.